The present invention relates generally to the field of mobile devices, and more particularly to mobile devices that can manipulate content being presented on a user-interface (UI) display via activated user-input elements.
Mobile devices, including personal digital assistants (PDAs), handsets, and other computing devices, often rely on keys located on the surface of the device (e.g., miniaturized alphanumeric, “QWERTY” keyboard) to receive user-initiated inputs. Typically an input, such as entering text, is made by selecting a single-purpose key on the keyboard that is effective for a specific operation, regardless of the application being presently implemented. Because these keys cannot adapt to an application that is currently running (e.g., dialing versus text entry), an appropriate surface area must be designated on a mobile device to house a full keyboard to accommodate inputs for various applications. Thus, these mobile devices with full keyboards consume an exorbitant spatial area that is not practical in the compact mobile environment and create a disconnect between a key layout of the mobile device and the functionality of a running application.
Some mobile devices, with larger display areas, employ a touchscreen for offering onscreen keyboards that accept user-initiated inputs at keys presented therein. These keys may adapt to the application being performed by the mobile device. But, these onscreen keys are nondistinct from the remainder of the screen and lack the texture and feel (e.g., tactile feedback) of actual keys. This deficiency generally results in reduced speed and accuracy when inputting information at the screen. Accordingly, employing an onscreen set of actual keys that can adapt to a variety of applications, and can be continually updated, would provide a robust method of facilitating user control over the functionality of a plurality of applications and enhance a user's computing experience when using a touchscreen-enabled computing device.